Chapter 402
Chapter 402: War Is Like an X (2)
Roderick’s Army had prepared an impressive twenty catapults. And they were all large catapults.
The stones thrown from these large catapults possessed immense destructive power.
However, those stones never reached the Silverlight castle walls.
Ka-zhjik!
Kwaaaaaang!
Lightning from the sky obliterated all the stones flying through the air.
“What? The enemy mage is moving!”
“Unleash the magic barrier!”
The mages of Roderick’s Army began to move frantically. They had to block the mages of Penris’ Army and counterattack.
The head of the mages, 6th Circle Master Dneshi, shouted.
“The highest mage of Penris is a 6th Circle Mage! The rest have lower circles, so we can definitely contain them. First, seal the opposing mages, then resume the catapult attack and bombard the walls with magic!”
In war, breaking the enemy’s momentum with long-range attacks is fundamental. The more mages there are, the easier this process becomes.
The magical battle between the mages reignited.
Penris also had nearly a hundred mages on their side.
But Roderick’s Army boasted three 6th Circle Mages. Just one could stand against the opposing 6th Circle Mage.
With two remaining 6th Circle Mages, they could easily keep the lower Circle mages at bay.
This would allow the 5th Circle mages and the others to unleash magic upon Penris.
“We’ll attack first!”
The mages of Roderick confidently cast their spells. By attacking first, the enemy would have no choice but to focus on defense.
Paaaak!
Countless spells erupted from Roderick’s forces. This was enough to take out the soldiers on the walls and potentially damage the castle itself.
The opposing mages would be too busy dispelling magic to counterattack.
Dneshi stretched his hand forward and proclaimed confidently again.
“Do not hold back your power! They can’t dispel all the magic!”
If the 6th Circle Mage from Penris unleashed their full power, they could block the attacks from Roderick’s two 6th Circle Mages.
However, even with the remaining mages combining their powers, they would not be able to stop the rest of the attacks.
Dneshi genuinely thought so.
Until a woman stepped forward atop the Silverlight castle walls.
“Disappear.”
Vanessa quietly chanted and waved her hand through the air.
Simultaneously, hundreds of spells heading toward Silverlight scattered like a mirage and vanished.
“Uh?”
Dneshi wore a bewildered expression.
Such an event should never happen.
Even if the mages from Penris focused solely on dispersing magic, they should have started seeing lower Circle spells disappear sequentially first.
All the mages from Roderick froze in shock, momentarily halting their attack.
“What… what is going on?”
“Do they have more mages than us?”
“That doesn’t make sense!”
The Penris mages being nearly a hundred strong was something they were aware of.
But they must have been mostly lower Circle mages. It was impossible to dispel high-ranking mages’ spells so suddenly.
While Roderick’s mages were in shock, Vanessa elegantly moved her hand again.
“Fire Pillar!”
Though it was a 5th Circle spell, it was cast by a 7th Circle Mage. On top of that, it was a multi-casting like no one else could conceive.
Soon, enormous pillars of fire erupted simultaneously from various points within Roderick’s army.
Kwaaaang! Kwaaaang! Kwaaaang!
“Ahhhh!”
Before Roderick’s army could gather their wits, powerful pillars of fire surged through their catapults and siege towers.
Kwaaaang!
The massive catapults and siege towers were engulfed in flames and began to crumble.
Only then did Dneshi regain his composure and shout.
“Quickly, dispel the magic! I will counterattack!”
The 6th Circle Mage next to him gathered their power and cast Dispel. A few of the fire pillars flickered and vanished.
But that was all. Fire pillars continued to sprout up everywhere.
Kwaaaang! Kwaaaang!
“What are you doing? Hurry and dispel the magic!”
“I can’t with my power!”
Another 6th Circle Mage shouted in panic. Their powerful magic was being mostly nullified by the opposing spells.
Dneshi yelled at another mage.
“Hurry, help!”
Kwaaaang!
The fire pillars diminished slightly, but they continued to erupt in various places.
“It’s not working! The magical resistance is too strong!”
“What is this!”
Dneshi gritted his teeth and joined in dispelling magic.
In that moment, he felt an overwhelming difference in power.
Dak-dak-dak-dak!
Even with the three 6th Circle Mages pouring all their power into it, the enemy’s magic managed to break through.
The flowing magical power reconfigured in the space and materialized as spells.
Kwaaaang! Kwaaaang! Kwaaaang!
“Ahhhhh!”
As the magic persisted, soldiers, who had somehow managed to maintain their discipline amidst the chaos, began losing their grip one by one.
Seeing this, Dneshi broke into a cold sweat and shouted urgently.
“Everyone! Contribute your strength! We must dispel the magic quickly!”
Ultimately, the 5th Circle mages and even the other lower Circle mages rushed to dispel the magic as well.
High Circle mages and nearly half of the mages contributed their power, finally fully sealing the enemy’s magic.
Even so, the opposing magical power continued to attempt breaking through. Roderick’s mages felt dread.
Their leader, Dneshi, trembled in fear as he ground his teeth.
“What… what is this…? Who on earth is there…?”
This didn’t make sense. The highest-ranking mage from Penris was known to be a 6th Circle.
Although a 6th Circle was indeed formidable, they could not possibly face this many alone.
To achieve such a feat, they would need to be a 7th Circle Mage who had reached a superhuman state. But the only 7th Circle Mage in the North, Delmood, was already dead.
“Who the hell are you?!”
Vanessa’s ascent to 7th Circle was a recent event. Thanks to Ghislaine’s deliberate concealment, it hadn’t yet spread anywhere, making the confusion of the others entirely understandable.
There was no time to identify the identity of the enemy. If they relaxed now, the magic barrier would surely crumble.
“This… This power doesn’t make sense… It can’t possibly be the strength of one individual.”
Roderick’s high Circle mages found their hands tied. Including lower Circle mages, this meant they faced an equivalent power of two or three Mage Towers.
While the 7th Circle Mage Vanessa was also bound, having significantly fewer soldiers compared to the enemy was a clear advantage for Penris.
Dneshi couldn’t accept the current situation.
“Cough! Have the remaining mages attack the castle! There shouldn’t be any more mages from Penris willing to step up! They must be using some trick!”
He absolutely could not acknowledge the existence of a 7th Circle Mage. Dneshi believed all of Penris’ mages combined were employing some method.
There were about 50 remaining mages in Roderick’s army. Most were 4th Circle mages, but if the enemy had no mages, they could demonstrate overwhelming power.
Paaang! Paaang!
Once more, numerous spells erupted from Roderick’s forces.
They may have been lower Circle spells, but they could inflict fatal damage on regular soldiers.
Sssrr…
However, those spells vanished before they could reach the castle walls. And in turn, lower Circle spells were cast from the Penris side.
“Are there still mages left?!”
Dneshi gasped in shock again.
To have blocked 50-something spells meant the enemy also had that many mages.
Of course, the remaining mages in Penris were still of lower levels.
Thus, Roderick’s remaining mages could fend off the spells from Penris.
Pik! Phush! Pahk!
With high Circle mages entangled with one another, the lower Circle mages from both sides cast trivial spells that repeatedly disappeared.
Ascon muttered while observing this,
“Is this real? It feels like a kid’s fight… My chest is tightening.”
The magical duel between the strongest armies from the North and West felt like village festival fireworks.
Claude grinned and said,
“But we still have one more card up our sleeve.”
The enemies were still in chaos, unable to reorganize properly. Thanks to Vanessa, most of the catapults had been destroyed. Many of the siege towers, too, were severely damaged.
As Claude gestured forward, a man stepped up.
“Phew… Is it finally my turn?”
Though all the mages had been blocked, Penris still had one high Circle mage left. That was Alfoy, who had just reached 5th Circle.
He didn’t know 5th Circle spells, but thanks to the Dragon Heart, his magical power had surpassed the 5th Circle level.
Claude looked at him and asked,
“Can you handle it?”
“My 4th Circle spells are equivalent to a 6th Circle’s.”
Everyone snickered at Alfoy’s boast. Despite being given plenty of study time, he still hadn’t mastered 5th Circle spells.
However, with just 4th Circle spells, he could handle a knight’s level. Although he wasn’t quite ready, it would definitely work against the soldiers.
“Fire Lance! Fire Lance! Fire Lance!”
With countless construction experiences, Alfoy was among the best at manipulating magic in the realm. Rapidly cast fire lances rained down upon Roderick’s forces.
Kwah-aang! Kwaaaang! Kwaaaang!
“Ahhh! An enemy mage is still here!”
With no mage to counter Alfoy, Roderick’s army could do nothing but fall victim to the fire lances.
Eating the Dragon Heart increased Alfoy’s magical power, making him a madman casting spells left and right.
“Woohoo! This is amazing! This is me!”
Elated, Alfoy pushed himself to cast even more magic.
He had never actively participated with magic in war before. His role had merely been as a living mana battery for Vanessa.
For the first time, using magic in battle made him feel ecstatic.
“My name is going to be known far and wide!”
Fueled by his ambition for glory, Alfoy truly gave it his all.
Perhaps facing an entire army with 4th Circle magic might actually be better than using 5th Circle spells. He felt full of energy even after casting it dozens of times.
Kwah-aang! Kwaaaang! Kwaaaang!
Even with a massive army of 60,000, soldiers wouldn’t be wiped out in an instant. However, it was more than enough to inflict significant damage and chaos upon the enemy.
“Knights, block them!”
As they could no longer utilize magical forces, knights from Roderick’s army sprang forth, raising shields to block the magic.
Alfoy alone was akin to facing dozens of knights. That was indeed a significant achievement, but he became filled with dissatisfaction as magic was impeded.
“What’s going on! Why is it getting blocked more and more? I need to sweep them all away with my magic!”
He failed to realize how substantial his role had become. He was simply frustrated that his magic was being blocked.
In war, the first priority was to neutralize the opposing magical forces. As the magical attacks from both sides reached a ceasefire, Roderick’s army sprang into action.
“Kill those bloody bastards!”
Already angry beyond measure, Marquis Roderick became even more furious when the magical forces achieved no results and were blocked.
At his command, the commanders shouted from various places.
“Quickly, reassemble the ranks and advance!”
“Abandon the catapults! Bring the siege towers!”
“We must seize the castle in one swoop!”
As the 60,000 troops moved, their momentum was nothing short of extraordinary. It was astonishing enough to terrify anyone who witnessed it.
Moreover, there were still ten siege towers left. Even just one was sufficient to conquer a small castle.
Gu-gu-gu-gu-gung!
The soldiers began dragging the siege towers forward.
If these ten siege towers reached the castle, Penris would be utterly powerless to stop them.
“Heavy infantry, clear the path first!”
The heavy infantry, wielding broad shields, formed ranks carefully and moved forward. They needed to protect the siege towers from incoming arrow attacks.
Silverlight was positioned slightly higher than the surroundings. The difference was so subtle that you could barely see it from afar, but the soldiers pushing the siege towers could feel that difference in their bodies.
“Damn it, is it on a slope? This is tougher than training!”
“Just a bit more. Once we are close, those bastards are finished.”
“Push harder! It’s on a slope!”
No matter how gentle the slope, pushing a heavy siege tower quickly made the strain apparent.
As they cautiously moved forward, Penris still exhibited no movement. Not even arrows flew their way.
“Hey! Marquis Roderick! You blundering fool!”
All that could be heard were Ascon’s curses.
Of course, the command staff, caught up in Roderick’s rage, urged the soldiers.
“Move faster!”
“The closer we get, the better to evade arrow attacks! The nearer we are, the more advantageous it is for us!”
With the commanders’ cries ringing out, the soldiers picked up their pace.
And they realized the closer they got, the more difficult it became to move.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
At one point, the ground became filled with mud and sand, making it challenging for the soldiers to lift their feet.
“Damn it, is it because it’s the North? Even the ground is terrible here.”
“Ugh, look at this dust rising.”
“It’s hard to walk due to the sand.”
Naturally, the movements of the siege towers slowed even more. With the incline and the mud and sand, pushing became increasingly difficult.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Soldiers pushed through the surrounding earth and sand.
For those who lived in the vast plains, just walking in this environment was exhausting.
They were just a bit closer to attaching the siege towers. Still, there was no sign of arrow attacks beginning.
Roderick’s army, not intending to let this opportunity slip by, accelerated their pace with all their might.
Only when they were close enough to be easily seen did Claude finally speak up.
“War is really not that different from a card game. It’s all about taking turns, looking at each other’s hands. Of course, in the end, the side with the better hands wins.”
He chuckled and waved his hand.
“Open the first water gate.”
At Claude’s command, the soldiers sprang into action. Soon, hundreds of small holes at the bottom of Silverlight’s castle walls opened, and water gushed out.
Kwaaaaaaaa!
